Button loop



P 1934. J. H. DOMKEE 1,973,976

BUTTON LOOP Filed July 25. 1932 INvE TEJF\ JEIHN H. Dcl-MKEE by g-oW ATTy Patented Sept. 18, 1934 UM-TEiDTATEi-S PATENT =o-F-FrcEer BUTTON John/ill". Domkee, West Haven, Conn.,. assignor .to The Wire -Novelty'-Manufacturing -'Gompany, West Haven, Conna corporation :01 Connect- I 7 v icut i Application July 25, 1932, Serial No. 624, 33?

1 Claim.

tion substantially inexpansible and therefore providing a fixed passage through which 'abuttonshanko'f the greatestdiametermay pass upon entering or leaving the retaining loop.- Theease with which a button may be releasednnintenn 'tionally-"from the retaining loop "of the rigid type of button loops has led to'a preferred use of the resilient type ofbutton -'loops -which' provides for the 'expanslon-ofthe throat portion of such loop to enable a butt'on-shank-of a di-ametergreater =15 than that ofthe normally contra'cted throat portion, to pass therethrough -and become seated within the retai-ning-loopand there held: against release therefrom excepting: as it 'm'ay :ag'ainex?- pand the throat portion against the inherent g0 resiliency of the wire of which the button loop is chiefly made. Besides the wire structure of such resilient button loops there is invariably employed a connecting member of sheet metal within which the ends of the wire button loop structure are held for relative movement upon the expansion and contraction of the throat portion.

The improved button loop, about to be described, makes possible the use of a single-piece wire rigid button loop having all of the advantages of the resilient type of button loop and capable of being manufactured at a cost less than that of the previous rigid type; for considerably less wire per unit is required therefor.

The objects of the improvement therefore are is to provide a rigid button loop having but one loop within which a button both may be received and held; to provide such a rigid button loop with a suspension loop having a cross-bar a middle portion of which is outwardly off-set to enlarge the suspension loop and thus leave bar exlooped strap, intermediate its marginally en- ,button 100p with button inserted therein, the

gaged portions, provides .a yielding portion "behindan inserted andseated butt'ohwithin holding loop'to thereby cooperate with thermioing loop to secure the inserted button against unintentional release. With these and 'otheifob- 5Q jects in View, as may hereinart'er'appear, the iffi- ,proyementas illustrated is subject to such changes and rnodifications as may come within the scopeof What "hei'ihaftr'lhay 'be IaiffiH.

The C1121 $843176! {fifths iiilblbiilfiiil; maybe best understoodiby refer nce to iuu'strative forms of device embodying the ifi'V efifiO'I'i and illiltr a by the accompanying idrawingin-wnicn the Figure l is an tlprighl? elevation 61" tfi ifiipldvfi 7. lbutton 'loop' being suspenuecrrcin a 'folded'stiab portion, portions-of the strap and the button loop being illust'rated'in dotted lines; the Figure 2 is aside -.elevation ofthe' improvement as illustrated by. the previcus figura'excepting that the button is illustrated-as'beih'g' attached-tea ifieffibe'r ther'ebysupp'orted; the Figure 311s elevation of the improvement illustrated by the first figure,,.excepting]that "theb'iittofid's being tipped, against the yielding pcrtionjoi the strap preparatory. to the release or the button from within the button loop; and the Figure I; ls anupright levatidi'i of the -liibittlfii 16015, the pigure 5 beingasimilar elevation of .the butt'oii'lo'op stamped out from sheet material.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the improved button loop, while preferably illustrated as made of wire, may be made of other forms of material such as, for instance, sheet metal. The improved button loop is of simple construction, comprising, as it does, the centrally arranged button holding loop 1, the horizontally extending suspension loop 2 and the enlargement 3 of the loop 2. The structure, preferably of wire, may be made in any manner that will provide said loops 1 and 2 and the enlargement 3, but as illustrated a middle portion of a single piece of wire is curvingly bent to form the centrally arranged button holding loop 1 providing the seat 4 for the shank 5 of a button 6, then from both sides of the upper portion of the holding loop 1 the wire end portions are horizontally bent in opposite directions, and one away from the other, to provide the lower bar portions '7 and 8 of the suspension loop 2, and then, at places equidistant from the holding loop 1, both wire end portions are bent upwardly and then backwardly, one toward the other, to provide the upper bar portions 9 and 10 of the suspension loop 2, the wire extremities. 11 and 12 then being .llO

outwardly off-set in a plane parallel to that of the bar portions 9 and 10, and the faces of the wire stock there made to abut, the engaging metal surfaces of said faces being united in permanent intimate union, as at 13, by means of welding, brazing or soldering, the structure in its welded form providing a compact and rigid unit which, with the cooperation of a strap 14, is adapted to receive, hold and retain a button 6 against unintentional release.

The strap 14 is inserted within the suspension loop 2 and then folded back upon itself to provide the strap loop 15 from which the improved button loop is suspended by means of the marginal engagement of the strap loop 15 by the upper bar portions 9 and 10, an intermediate portion 16 of the fold of the strap loop 15, not being immediately reinforced by any bar portion in alignment with the upper bar portions 9 and 10,

remaining sufficiently flexible to yield under the application of force, but to normally provide a sufficient barrier behind an inserted button 6 to prevent the unintentional release of the button 6 fromwithin the holding loop 1, as illustrated by the Figures 1 and 2.

In use, the button 6 to be inserted within the button loop is tipped relative to the button loop so that the back of the lower portion of the button 6'may engage a front upper portion of the holding loop 1 to provide a fulcrum by which the upper portion of the button 6 may be forced by the flexible portion 16 of the fold of the strap loop 15, the flexible portion 16 yielding to permit the upperportion'o'f the button 6 to pass through the enlargement 3 as the button slips into'the holding loop 1. The button 6 being fully inserted, the shank 5 seats itself into the shank seat 4 and then the button 6 readily assumes an upright position in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of the button loop, thus permitting the flexible portion 16 of the fold of the strap loop 15 to straighten out behind the button 6 and there provide a barrier against accidental removal of the button 6, the flexible portion 16 of the fold of the strap loop 15 cooperating with the holding loop 1 to secure the button 6 within the improved button loop against unintentional release.

To release the button 6 from within the improved button loop, the button 6 is tipped so that its upper portion forcibly engages the flexible portion 16 of the fold of the strap loop 15 thereby made to sufficiently yield, as illustrated by the Figure 3, to permit the button 6 to slide out of the holding loop 1. In other words, the passing of the button 6 into and out of the improved button loop requires that a top portion of the button 6 extends into the enlargement 3 which is covered and normally filled out by the flexible portion 16 of the fold of the strap loop 15. Therefore, to enter or withdraw the button 6 into or from the improved button loop, it is necessary that the flexible portion 16 sufiiciently yields, that is to be capable of being crowded into and adjacent the upper portion of the enlargement 3 to permit the button 6 to extend into, and thus pass through, the enlarged interior of the button loop.

The Figure 5 illustrates an improved button loop stamped out of sheet material. Like the preferred wire loop, the sheet material loop provides the button holding loop 1', the suspension loop 2', the enlargement 3, the lower bar portions '7' and 8', the upper bar portions 9 and 10, and the seat v4:.

The button loop structure in its wire, or sheet 'material form, furthermay be described as a one piece structureproviding ahorizontally extending loop 2 having opposed enlargements l and 3 intermediate its length, the enlargement l, of course, providing the'button holding loop, while the enlargement 3 provides the necessary head room for the button 6 in entering and leaving the button loop.

A rigid button loop comprising a single piece of wire of which a middle portion is curvingly bent 'to provide a button holding loop, the wire end portions being bent therefrom horizontally outward and then bent back upon themselves to' extend horizontally inward to provide a suspension loop above and adjacent to the holding loop, the wire extremities being upwardly off-set and made to abut to provide the suspension loop with an intermediate enlargement, the engaging metal surfaces of the abutting wire ends being united in permanent intimate union.

JOHN H. DOMKEE. 

